Gridlocked
by Kiaxet
Summary: The Grid is not what it used to be, and it's up to Sora and a newly rescued Aqua to brave it and fix it. They'll have to if they have any hope of finding clues to what happened during the ten years Aqua lost to the darkness. A preview of a story to come.


_Turns out I'm not dead - just really busy! Crazy how that gets, huh._

_This is not a full story as of yet - it's outlined but not written. For those of you wondering, the story came about while Tron: Legacy was still in theaters, so there are no 3D spoilers. To that end, I'd ask that you please do not spoil me for 3D - I'm waiting until I can play the game myself._

_This is a scene from the first half of the story - the action picks up from here on out. Keep an eye out for the rest of the story, which will hopefully come soon._

* * *

"Who are you?" she questioned, voice pitched low enough that nobody in that elevator but Rinzler should have been able to hear it. "And how do you know Sora?"

The masked figure turned his head slowly, until her level stare was reflected back at her in the front of his helm. His face was hidden, unreadable, but he shifted and for several short seconds, he looked unsure. Aqua had the upper hand; she was certain of it. What she didn't have was the right questions to ask to fully press that advantage.

The elevator slowed to a stop, door smoothly sliding open, and Rinzler's posture clicked back into strict, unfeeling place, his grasp on her arm tightening. The moment was gone, leaving Aqua with the lingering feeling that she'd missed a vital piece of the puzzle the Grid had become.

"Well, hello there."

Evidently she had other things to worry about, as she turned to face the program who had greeted her. He stood with the self-assured swagger of the man in charge and grinned at her. She'd seen that grin before: on Xehanort's face, directed towards Ven. _"Countless Keyblade wielders gave up their lives, all in search of one ultimate Key. And it will soon belong to me…x-blade!"_

"You caused quite a stir down there." The program applauded slowly, that grin never leaving his face. "I'm impressed."

She stepped forward, shaking off Rinzler's grip and keeping her eyes on the program with the swagger. That grin was all the reason she needed not to trust him. It didn't help that the lights on his suit all glowed orange.

"What, nothing to say for yourself?" He moved closer; she stood her ground. "Hey, that's okay. We'll get it sorted out." He snapped his fingers. "Disc."

She caught Rinzler's movement out of the corner of her eye, then felt the pressure on her back and heard an audible _click_ as he removed her identity disc.

_You will receive an identity disc. Everything you do or learn will be imprinted on this disc._

Everything-

"_They hunt those of us who are still fighting him."_

"_Tron hasn't been seen since the reconfiguring."_

"_You're Aqua, right?"_

"_The darkness can't have you!"_

"_You can't fight the darkness with light, dear."_

"_As a Master, you are entitled to certain knowledge-"_

Quick as thought, she reached out, snagging her identity disc with the tips of her fingers and yanking it out of Rinzler's grasp. "I don't think that's any of your business."

"You're _feisty!"_ The program was unfazed, that grin unchanged. He was, she noticed, watching her a bit more closely. "Don't know what else I expected from a user."

If he wanted a reaction out of her, he'd have to try harder. Aqua's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Oh _come on!_" He spread his arms wide, laughter in his voice. It nearly made her skin crawl. "That key's a dead giveaway! After hundreds of cycles, the keybearing user has returned to the Grid. You can't have expected nobody to have noticed."

He thought she was Sora, she realized. Sora had been the one inside the Grid before – the name must not have been passed down with the story. If this program thought Aqua was that user, then he didn't know Sora was here. She fully intended to keep it that way. "I didn't expect such a reception…" she replied, leaving her sentence hanging and opening her free hand expectantly.

The program picked up on the gesture. "Clu," he introduced himself, then switched tacks, approaching a few steps. "So! After all this time, the user has finally returned to the grid. I can't help but wonder what you might be after."

It was his turn to be expectant and hers to provide the answer. She locked eyes with him. "I'm looking for a program called Tron."

Clu's poker face was perfect. It was Rinzler's reaction, seen out of the corner of her eye, that caught Aqua's interest. He'd stiffened as though a bolt of electricity had passed through him, then shook his head as if trying to clear it. He knew something. She was sure of it.

"That program hasn't been seen for cycles!" Clu's smile was firmly in place, ever the jovial, attention-commanding host. "Not since the reconfiguration of the system."

"That doesn't mean you don't know anything," Aqua replied coolly, refusing to buy the act.

The smile quirked ever so slightly, and for just a moment there was a hint of something dangerous in Clu's eyes. It was gone just as quickly as it had come, but Aqua knew she was finally getting somewhere all the same. "Clever user, aren't you," he mused, voice low. "All right," and just like that, the welcoming host act was back in place, "I'll make you a deal." He headed for the window, gesturing at the crowd waiting in the stands below. "Your little key trick earlier cut the show short, and now I have a crowd that never got what they came for." He faced her again. "I also have one more game. So it's simple." The smile reappeared on his face as he approached her. "You play in my game. You win. I tell you what you want to know."

After Hades and the Coliseum, Aqua knew it was never that simple. "And if I don't win?"

"Then you get to answer my question." Clu didn't skip a beat. "I've always wanted to know if it was possible for a user to be derezzed."

That was it, then. Making a break for it wasn't possible – if jumping from the Recognizer's platform would have broken her ankles, jumping from Clu's ship to the stadium below would kill her. On the other hand, whatever game Clu had in mind would likely be stacked heavily against her. Her options were play or die, or if she performed poorly, play _and_ die. For a moment, she wished for Stormfall – her glider would have gotten her out of the corner that Clu had effectively backed her into. But she'd given up Stormfall, and her armor, years ago to save Terra; now, she had her Master's Keyblade and the determination to get out of this mess and back to Sora. Clu had backed her into this corner, and if she had to go through him to get out, so be it. Plus, she'd enjoy the chance to wipe that smirk off his face, beating him at his own game.

"All right. I'll play."


End file.
